Supporting children who are deaf and hard of hearing

Children who are deaf and hard of hearing can get support from the Ministry’s Advisers on Deaf Children (AoDCs) and Resource Teachers of the Deaf (RTDs).

Advisers on Deaf Children

AoDCs work alongside children identified as deaf and hard of hearing and their families and whānau from birth to year 3 at school.

AoDC provide advice and guidance on communication and language development. They also help provide resources and programmes required to meet the developmental and educational needs of the child and their family and whānau through early childhood and into school.

AoDCs work collaboratively with other service providers including the Deaf Education Centres, the Northern Cochlear Implant programme and the Southern Cochlear Implant programme, and Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand, among others.

Resource Teachers: Deaf

RTDs are specialist teachers who assess a child’s needs in either a classroom, in a one-to-one setting or in a child’s home. Then they team up with other specialists to help teachers adapt their teaching to suit the child’s needs.

They work with teachers and families to set achievement goals and create learning plans for children and students who are deaf or hard of hearing. RTDs work through the Deaf Education Centres.

Deaf Education Centres

Two Deaf Education Centres provide services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. They employ Resource Teachers: Deaf.